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BUILDING
A MAGNETIZED ARMY DISPLAY BASE
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Click the images
to see larger versions. |
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Magnets and Glue. Keen
observers will be wondering why there are no washers for
vehicles glued in place yet. Well, that's because we haven't
placed the magnets onto the vehicles yet . Thus, we don't
know where to place the dang washers! For now, let's focus
on models with bases. Glue a single 0.250" x 0.09375"
NdFeB magnet underneath each model's base. Glue the magnet
towards the front or rear of each model. Make this
decision now and stick to it! You see, these magnets
are strong. If you have been playing with them, you will
have noticed this property. In order to attach a model
to a washer AND be able to take it back off without ripping
the model's torso from its legs – glue the magnet
towards either the front or back of the base. This way,
when you remove a model, instead of just yanking straight
up, you can rock the model towards the direction of the
hidden magnet. By rocking, you'll break the magnetic hold
on your model without breaking the glue bond. |
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Magnets and Vehicles.
Vehicles are kinda hard to explain in a generic manner
as there are so many different types. You'll need to
engineer your own way to add magnets and then line up
corresponding washers to be glued onto the foamcore.
This step isn't as hard as it seems – just sit
down and think things through before charging ahead.
However, here are some general tips that might help.
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Use Your Head. First
off, you are going to need to add magnets somewhere
underneath the model where it makes contact with the
ground. Chances are you'll find an obvious place to
put them after you take a look. In this example (yes,
it's an old Rhino – get off my back), it made
sense to sink four magnets into the treads. In order
to sink the magnets into place, you're going to have
to drill. The best way to do this is to progressively
widen the hole with numerous drill bits until it fits
your magnet. Taking your time will ensure that the model
stays in one piece. It's also highly advisable to do
this BEFORE you paint the model. Once the holes are
drilled properly, carefully glue the magnets in place.
Be sure to glue the magnets so that they remain level
and all of them touch a flat surface at once. If one
of them is off, the model will not magnetize solidly
and will wobble a bit. That's bad.
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Add the Feet. Locate
your four plastic glides (or feet), a pencil, and a drill.
Measure and mark off where each of the feet will go on
the inner frame. Now, drill a small guide hole into each
mark that is slightly smaller than the thickness of the
nail in the foot. Grab a hammer and pound each of the
feet in place. Check to make sure everything is level
on a flat surface and adjust any irregularities if necessary. |
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